


Light the Fuse

by sophh



Series: 31 Days of Writing Challenge [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Muggle, Drinking, F/F, Meet-Cute, Nymphalina
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:54:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26819869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophh/pseuds/sophh
Summary: Tonks unwinds at the pub after a rough day at work. When a beautiful stranger spills a drink on her, her day gets a little better.Muggle/Modern!AU.
Relationships: Angelina Johnson/Nymphadora Tonks
Series: 31 Days of Writing Challenge [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1945717
Comments: 8
Kudos: 8
Collections: 31 Days of Writing Challenge - Fall 2020





	Light the Fuse

**Author's Note:**

  * For [VoldyIsMyFather](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VoldyIsMyFather/gifts).



> 31 Days of Writing Challenge, October 4th: Person A accidentally bumps into Person B, causing Person B to spill their drink all over Person A.

Tonks pushed open the pub door and sighed. After the day that she had just had, she really needed a drink. 

Being a detective was rewarding when it meant that the bad guys were put away. It wasn't so fun when the bad guys kept getting away...again...and again...and _again._

"Evening, Tonks," her favorite bartender, Hannah, said. Tonks flashed the other woman a quick smile, then settled onto a stool at the bar. She was becoming a bit of a regular here, and she and Hannah were on friendly terms. "Rough day?"

Tonks laughed and ran her fingers through her spiky pink hair. "Is it that obvious?"

"What can I get you, love?" Hannah asked, her voice sympathetic.

Tonks shrugged. "Surprise me." 

Hannah passed her a glass moments later and she sniffed the contents—a habit that her mentor, Alastor Moody, had instilled in her. Whiskey, by the smell of it. She took a sip and winced at the burning sensation. 

"That's our strongest stuff," Hannah said.

"Yeah, I figured," she gasped. 

As Tonks nursed the whiskey over the next half hour, she took note of the bar's other patrons. There were a couple of young men who seemed to be having a boisterous argument about which rugby team was superior, an older couple that was sitting together but barely speaking, and a few other people scattered throughout who, like her, were drinking alone. 

When her glass was empty, she asked Hannah for a refill, then decided to avail herself of a table near the window. She was tired of thinking about all of the dead ends she had chased down that day, and people-watching sounded like just the distraction she needed. 

Tonks was no stranger to accidents, so she held her glass of whiskey very carefully, making sure to take even, measured steps across the wooden floor. It was all going well until she was only a few steps from her chosen table. Just as she was walking past another table, the woman sitting there stood and moved into Tonks' path. 

Tonks tried to hurry out of the way, but she wasn't quite fast enough. To her horror, she collided with the other woman, and her glass went crashing onto the floor. She then shuddered as cold liquid began to seep through her white shirt. 

"Oh my God, I am so sorry!" The woman Tonks had just bumped into quickly put down her now-empty glass and held out her hand. "Here, let me help you. You don't want to sit in any broken glass." 

Tonks stood and looked ruefully at her drink, which was now spreading across the floor. Thankfully, Hannah must have seen or heard the breaking glass, because she bustled with some rags and began to clean up the spill. 

"I'll do it," Tonks offered, but Hannah shooed her away. 

"Are you alright?" 

Tonks peered at the woman who had helped her up. She was tall—a good deal taller than Tonks—and had tightly braided hair and smooth dark skin. If asked, Tonks would have said that she was incredibly beautiful, without a moment's hesitation. 

"Um, yeah, I'm fine," Tonks said quickly, her brain finally remembering that she had been asked a question. "I'm sorry, by the way. I'm just so clumsy—"

"No, it was my fault," the other woman said. "I'll buy you another drink, it's the least I can do." 

"Oh, no, you really don't have to—" Tonks started to protest, but the woman was already on her way to the bar. Tonks was struck by her long, toned legs, but feigned interest in the floor until she returned with two glasses of amber liquid. 

Tonks took one of the glasses, offering a small smile in return. "Thanks."

"I'm sorry there isn't anything I can do about your shirt," the woman said, nodding at the large stain on the white fabric. 

Tonks glanced down at it. It certainly wasn't her _best_ look, but she had worn much worse. Moody could attest to that. "It's alright. It's just a shirt." 

"Are you here alone?" the woman asked. 

Tonks blushed slightly, though she wasn't sure why. "Uh, yeah." 

"So am I. Would you like to join me?"

"Oh." Tonks ran a hand through her hair, thinking. It wasn't as though she had anything better to do, so she said, "Um, sure. I'm Tonks, by the way."

"Tonks? That's an interesting name," the woman commented. 

"Oh, well, it's really Nymphadora, but no one calls me that," Tonks explained, rolling her eyes. 

The woman laughed. "Got it. Well, it's nice to meet you, Tonks. I'm Angelina—or Angie, to my friends." Angelina smiled at her, and Tonks felt her cheeks grow warm again. Maybe it was the whiskey. 

"It's nice to meet you too," she mumbled, taking a swig of whiskey to cover up the awkwardness. Thankfully, Angelina didn't seem to notice anything amiss. 

At first, Tonks felt a bit out of her element sitting with such a gorgeous stranger, but her chattiness soon came out of hiding. She regaled Angelina with tales from the field, as well as the odd mysteries that she had solved over the years. Every time she made the other woman laugh, she felt as though she had accomplished something monumental. 

Angelina, for her part, was equally talkative, sharing stories about playing football semi-professionally and later working for her friends who owned a joke shop. She was quite animated when she spoke, all gestures and funny facial expressions. In many ways, she reminded Tonks of herself. 

Much too soon for Tonks' liking, she looked down and noticed that her glass was empty. With that came the sinking realization that she couldn't stay and talk to Angelina forever. 

"Well, I suppose I'd better be going," she said reluctantly. She stood and stretched. "Thanks for the conversation, Angelina." 

"Please, call me Angie," Angelina grinned. "It's the least you can do after chatting with me for so long." 

"Angie, then," Tonks said, trying to commit the other woman's face to memory. Perhaps she would run into her again, at this pub or somewhere else in London.

Almost as if she had read Tonks' mind, Angelina asked, "Would you mind if we swapped mobile numbers? I really enjoyed talking to you." 

Tonks reached into the pocket of her trousers and pulled out her mobile. "I wouldn't mind that at all." 

Maybe her day hadn't started out that great, Tonks reflected as she handed her phone over to Angelina, but it had certainly gotten a lot better. 

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Trying to convert other people to ship these two, hehe.


End file.
